With the advent of inexpensive and commonly available computer-networking technologies and inexpensive personal computers, those who own and/or use personal computers have grown accustomed to, and, in many cases, dependent on, electronic information searching and retrieval through various search-engine websites provided through the Internet. Consumers may currently carry out a large percentage of their retail transactions through the Internet, often facilitated by electronic Internet searches for retailers and products, and additionally employ the Internet for access to news, information about the weather, information about commercial, private, and governmental services, and for access to a host of additional services and information sources. Indeed, personal computers, electronic databases, and query-processing interfaces have replaced many older information retrieval systems, including card catalogs in public libraries, many of the traditional printed reference materials in public libraries, manual systems for access to public records and documents, and many other older information sources and searching systems.
Although search engines and the many query-processing interfaces used to access various electronic databases are increasingly successfully applied for providing information provision to consumers, personal-computer users, and the public at large, search engines and query-processing interfaces have certain drawbacks, constraints, and limitations. These drawbacks, constraints, and limitations may include a narrow range of devices from, and communications media through, which information can be accessed, a lack of effective targeting of searches in order to efficiently retrieve information, inflexibility with respect to timing of responses, and a narrow range of types of information sources that can be accessed. Thus, although search engines and various query-processing interfaces provide enormous benefit and useful access to information, those seeking information have recognized the need for more efficient, more flexible, and more powerful information-searching and information-retrieval systems.